Reinforced concrete construction.



W. J. WATSON. REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 20, 1911.

Patented Dec. 15,1914,

I/VVfNTOf? d Wazzm BY v y W ATTORNEYS WI T/VESSES:

WILIBUR J. \HATSGN.

OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO.

REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION,

Application filed December 20, 1911.

To all about it may concern Be it known that I, 'TILBUR J. Warsox, a citizen of the Fnited States,rresiding at Cleveland. in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio. have invented certain new and useful Improwments in Reinforced Concrete Con truction. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the reinforcing construction for reinforced concrete bridges and one of its objects is the provision of such reinforcing construction for concrete bridges that bridges of this type may be built more expeditiously, more safely and more economically than heretofore.

I will describe the features of my invention hereinafter and particularly point them out in the appended claims.

.lteferring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents more or less diagrammatically a transverse v rtical sectional view of a bridge embodying my invention; Fig.2 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 but omitting some of the concrete in order to better illustrate the reinforcing construction; Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of Fig. 2 to show the arrangement of the reinforcing cross bars; and Fig. i is a. transverse section of the reinforcing units 6 and 7 which show the method of connecting the two parts of such units.

Referring to Fig. l, 1 designates the roadway surface of a reinforced concrete bridge, and 2, 2 designates the wheel guards for the bridge. 3, 3, 3, 3 designate the longitudinal beams for supporting the roadway. These beams comprise the steel beams 6 and 7 and the concrete in which they are embedded. 4i designates reinforcing rods or bars extending through the roadway slab between the longitudinal beams in such a manner as to reinforce the slabs intermediate the beams. These reinforcing rods are supported di rectly by the steel beams. 5 designates straightreinforcing bars or rods in the roadway slabs and are also supported directly by the steel beams, the latter, however, not being essential to the construction.

As indicated in Fig. 2 each of the steel beams 6 and 7 are double lattice beams comprising longitudinal members 10 and 11 between which is the lattice work 12. The upper ends of the inclined strips of the lat tice may be extended to form notches or recesses on the upper side of the longitudinal Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented Dec. 15,1914.

Serial No. 666.399.

strip 10. The lattice bars or the reinforcing units (3 and 7 may be arranged in such a way as to provide notches or resting places in predetermined positions for the reinforcing cross bars l and 5, thus assuring that these bars will always be where they belong and preclude the danger of misplacement which has been the principal objection of reinforcing construction heretofore in reinforced concrete bridges. Or, holes may be punched in the longitudinal members 10, through which wires may be passed, thus securing the bars -l and 5 in predetermined positions. A. further object of the lattice reinforcing units (3 and T is that they can be employed for suspending directly from them the false wort: or supports for the concrete, thus avoiding the necessity for supports underneath, which inmany instances may be difficult and expensive to make. The

reinforcing units 6 and 7 may be built of ordinary structural shapes, such as plain angles, bulb angles or T5 and the lattice bars may be flat bars or angles, as desired.

It will be noticed that the side units 7 are of somewhat greater depth than the intermediate units 6 so as to provide for the proper reinforcing of the wheel guards 2, 2. It will be understood that the ends of the beams 3 are supported on abutments 8, 8, as shown in Fig. 2. I prefer to provide the lattice bars with extensions 13 to provide notches for the cross bars at, but these eX- tensions may in someeases be omitted and the cross bars 5 alone used. It will be noticed that the cross bars 5 are straight, whereas the reinforcing rods d are bent at their ends so that the intermediate portions will be in substantially the same horizontal plane as the rods 5. The rods i may in some instances be also straight, or the rods 5 may be bent similar to bars 4.

The preferred arrangement comprises the straight rods 5 in the notches or openings intermediate the longitudinal strips 10, 11 and the rods 4 with their intermediate ends bent so as to rest in the notches formed by the extensions 13 of the lattice bars. This arrangement requires the least amount of material and keeps the factor of safety high. It is e ident that the reinforcing construction may be sent to the location where the bridge is to be built and placed in proper position easily and quickly be cause the exact positions for the reinforc ing cross rods are predetermined, thus eliminating the danger of misplacement of the reinforcing construction and lessening the time and expense of erection of the entire bridge. I

Although I have shown myinvention applied to one form of bridge, it may be applicable to other forms. Furthermore those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the claims, and I wish therefore not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is- 1. A reinforced concrete bridge construction comprising beams each made up of a top and a bottom member spaced apart and lattice bars crossing each other and secured to said top and bottom members, the tops of said lattice bars being extended above said top members forming notches; reinforcing bars resting in said notches and extending between the beams; and concrete inclosing said beams and reinforcing bars.

2. A reinforced concrete bridge construction comprising beams each made up of a top and a bottom member spaced apart and lattice bars crossing'each other and secured to said top and bottom members, the tops of said lattice bars being extended above said top members forming notches; a set of reinforcing bars resting on crossing portions of said lattice bars between said top and bottom members and extending between the beams; a second set of reinforcing bars resting in said notches and extending between said beams, said last mentioned set of bars being bent downwardly to substantially the height of the first mentioned set of reinforcing bars between the beams; and'concrete inclosing said beams and reinforcing bars.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this fourteenth day of December, A. D. 1911.

WILBUR 'J. WATSON.

W'itnesses:

H. A. HAUXHURST, WVALTER G. STEPHAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

